


Cocktrail Politics and Obscure Details

by afrocurl, avictoriangirl



Category: X-Men - All Media Types, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Bickering, Dubious Science, Enemies to Lovers, Erik is not a Happy Bunny, Honestly Charles What Are You Thinking, M/M, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-12
Updated: 2015-02-12
Packaged: 2018-03-11 23:39:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3336980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afrocurl/pseuds/afrocurl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/avictoriangirl/pseuds/avictoriangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charles hates that his day consists of both Hank's overeager extra lab work and a visit from Emma's colleague who always drives him nuts.</p>
<p>Only his day gets much much worse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cocktrail Politics and Obscure Details

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of **avictoriangirl** 's [brilliant prompt](http://i.imgur.com/voaRVKM.png), and you can see all the work she did [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3271871). Please go tell her how awesome this is.

Of course today would be the day where everything in Charles’ life went wrong. It wasn’t just that the Frost Academy had sent over Erik Lehnsherr - the man who had always goaded Charles to no end - to discuss the possibility of an optional summer exchange problem between the two schools; it was Hank’s lab work going wonky - again! - while Erik was there. 

Hank’s errant experiments were one norm Charles had come to expect from running the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, even if Hank’s lab work was often not connected to the Sciences taught at the school. But to have it happen while someone from Emma’s school was visiting: it was mortifying.

No, it did matter to Charles. Erik Lehnsherr was attractive in the way that Charles lusted after when he found the time to (of course Emma would have sent a colleague who nearly fit Charles’ type to a tee just to add more salt in his wounds about her _opinions_ on his school); it was always the principle of showing that Charles’ school was equal to Emma’s. Nevermind Charles’ school had been founded first with Emma as one of his own colleagues who defected, and now his school was failing miserably while hers thrived.

Erik stood stoically at Charles’ side as the banging from the basement grew louder and louder just after Erik had walked into the mansion. The fact Charles could hear it from the foyer was another matter he’d take up with Hank after all of this was sorted. One of many on Charles’ mind right now if he had his cake and ate it too. He just wanted to settle this situation with Hank soon and then have the conversation with Erik over with before he did something stupid with either man that would further damage his reputation amongst the small but gossipy mutant community.

“If you don’t mind following me, I need to take care of something and then we can get into the business of planning for the summer.” It was the only polite thing to do, even if Charles’ mood now would have him yelling at Hank no matter what happened. It was also only polite to have Erik along than to leave the man alone in the halls of the school. The man was likely to learn more of Charles’ secrets, what the students might be doing on a Saturday, or worse.

Erik nodded and waited for Charles to move away from the foyer; at least Erik was showing Charles deference today unlike any number of previous meetings where Erik would barge around the mansion as if it was his. Reluctantly they walked towards the elevator and waited for it to take them down into Hank’s lab, not that Erik knew where the lab space was - or at least Charles hoped Erik hadn’t been cataloging the whole mansion for metal thus far or previously. 

The elevator door opened onto the lab’s floor, and Charles unleashed his ire. 

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Hank, why did you try to bring your shrink ray online today? When Emma has sent Erik over to discuss the Summer Program?” It was only his poor mood that had Charles relying on his telepathy right now to figure out what Hank had decided to do in the lab. Normally his telepathy was only a last resort, but today’s banging and clanking were one of Charles’ definitions of a last resort, especially with guests.

Behind the loud noises, Charles knew Hank was working on fixing something, but it didn’t matter what. The idea of that shrink ray was already so far outside of Hank’s required work as Science teacher that Charles wanted the project stopped - immediately - before any student happened upon it to dangerous results.

“He’s trying to stabilize it,” came Erik’s voice behind him. Charles had forgotten that the man was even behind him. If he could ignore Erik’s presence he was well on his way to blowing up at Hank no matter what happened next.

“Well, that doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t be done at all.”

“You don’t let your staff have their own interests?”

“Not if it will put my students at risk.”

“Emma never does that. I’ve been able to expand my powers over some magnetic fields at my leisure and to the students’ delight at Frost Academy.”

“Well, that’s why Emma has her own school, and I have mine. Now if you don’t mind, I want to get a handle on this without an uninformed bystander’s idle commentary and opinion.”

Charles turned away from Erik to watch what Hank was actually doing behind the closed door, swinging it open without yelling again. It was far worse than Charles wanted to believe before: Hank’s shrink ray was pointed at the door and the mechanisms were all lit up as if it was ready to fire.

“Don’t you dare, Hank!” Charles yelled over the increasingly loud sound of the machine powering up. It was clear that Hank was trying to test the machine - again - and without any more success than before if the whirling and flashing light were signs of distress rather than progress.

That was the last thing Charles said before his frame of reference went from his typical one to where he was surrounded by everything dwarfing him by ten times or more.

“Well fuck!” Charles’ didn’t need long to realize what had happened. Hank’s machine had done what Charles feared it always would - shrink someone without their consent - and it was typical that he would be the one affected.

“You have that right.”

Charles turned his head around to see that Erik was also approximately the same size as he was, lost amongst the dusty floor. There was the same stony expression on Erik’s face, as if nothing ever fazed the man’s carefully constructed and ever-present ire, even being shrunk to the size of nanotech.

“I hadn’t imagined it had that sort of range to hit two of us,” Charles said, because there wasn’t much else that could be said in this situation that wasn’t more flippant or rude. He certainly wasn’t going to talk to Erik about anything other than work or how they’d been shrunk to some small percentage of their normal size. He didn’t even want to talk to Erik about work, truth be told, but Charles was never rude when it came to professional obligations. He kept to where he was, not facing Erik, trying to also extend his own powers out to get Hank to find them.

“I was just to your left when it went off. The ray fans out after it leaves the gun.” Wonderful information for Charles’ case later: the device can’t even emit its rays in a straight shot.

Charles hummed his agreement, because he couldn’t think of much else to say and he didn’t want to think of Hank’s machine right now beyond what was absolutely necessary. “Well, I hope Hank finds us soon. I don’t think we’d appreciate being on the floor for days.”

“Days?” There was a nervous lilt to Erik’s voice now. Serves him right, Charles thought as he continued to stew in his anger.

“Yes, I imagine it’ll take Hank a few days to reverse-engineer something to unshrink us. I’m having little luck with my telepathy right now.”

“Emma won’t like that I’ll be late,” was all Erik said in reply.

“She doesn’t like much, Erik.” Charles willed the conversation to end, and hoped they could agree - for once - and drop everything else until Hank found them both.

-

“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!” It was hard for Hank to say anything but that, given that he’d managed to shrink both Charles and Erik Lehnsherr in the same blast.

Who was he supposed to call if Charles was incapacitated? Was it Raven? Moira? Both of them?

Both of them seemed like the best option right now, so he looked down to where Charles and Erik had been standing but found nothing, not even darker spots of dirt to give him some indication of where they were.

He also hoped he hadn’t stepped on them just now. Fuck this was awful. He moved quickly and found the closest phone in the sub basements.

Frantically, he called Raven first leaving her a voicemail that he hoped she could understand: “Raven, I sort of shrunk Charles. And one of the employees from the Frost Academy. I don’t know how it happened - well I guess I do, but I don’t know how to fix it right now. But you should know as the assistant headmaster. I’m calling Moira, too. See you soon?”

His message to Moira wasn’t much better: “Hello Ms. McTaggart. Hank from the Xavier School. Under emergency protocols I’m telling you that Charles has been shrunk, along with an employee from the Frost Academy. Raven knows too, but I need to fix the shrink ray to unshrink them which means I can’t be put in charge of all the students. Please hurry!”

His panic only increased when he looked at his watch and saw that everyone would be gathering for lunch soon. Now he needed an excuse for why Charles wasn’t there.

-

Charles had stayed silent, waiting for Erik to say anything - something - about why Emma had left Charles’ school five years ago. It felt like Charles’ job wasn’t over, only instead of waiting for a student to figure out how to say what they had done wrong, he was waiting for a man older than him to explain Emma Frost as if Charles didn’t already know. He hadn’t turned around to see Erik fully, but kept turning his head to show that he expected something to be said. Sooner or later. Preferably sooner.

Finally there was a sort of snort - an odd laugh to say the least - that came from Erik’s mouth before Charles finally turned around to look at Erik more fully. They’d have to stay close together if they wanted Hank to find them at some point. “You know she doesn’t hate you,” Erik said after he had composed himself into the same man who never showed emotion - fear especially.

“She certainly left in a way that told me she did. Leaving in the middle of the night with the Stepford Cuckoos, Magik and Scott Summers wasn’t a sign that she cared overmuch.”

“You’re overbearing in her mind. It was the only way those students - and Scott - would have thrived.”

At this Charles scoffed. “I’m not overbearing.” He crossed his arms in defense of his own philosophy of teaching and working with children. Even if he didn’t need to defend himself against anyone, especially Erik Lehnsherr.

“And what would you call what you were saying to Hank before we strank?”

“I’m protective. Would you want anyone to be in our position? A student with developing powers where they might work too hard to compensate for the change in size.”

“No, but that doesn’t mean that the inquiry process isn’t valuable. Students can see Hank’s work and know that they’re free to do their own exploration without judgement. That they’re free to use their own powers without being chastised when it doesn’t go as they’d like it to.”

“It isn’t judgment if it’s my responsibility to keep them safe.” Charles paused and tried to work out the rest of his idea before he said anything. “I’d also never tell a student that they couldn’t explore their powers; we have classes designed for it.”

“Keeping them caged, you mean, with those classes. That you have a class, not allowing them free rein, only proves my point.” Erik’s voice was colder now, like it was when they met years ago for the first time.

“No, they aren’t caged. They must have the proper place to learn about their powers, that’s all.”

“That may have worked for you, but that doesn’t work for everyone. I had to watch my parents suffer in the water before I realized I could do anything in our car when we went off the road. Scott’s powers can’t afford him the possibility of every space being safe.” He let out a loud sigh. “We need to learn _in_ the world, not away from it.”

That was the first time that Charles had ever heard anything personal about Erik’s life before he came to work for Emma. It was shocking to hear such a painful story and to feel some of Erik’s own pain at the memories. “And this is why our two schools offer different approaches to mutants and their associated powers.”

“Ah, I see. You still won’t engage when we do have to interact. Emma’s been right to send me time and time again.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Charles pushed himself closer into Erik’s space.

“Just that she can’t stand to listen to you being so high and mighty, so I’m forced to.” 

At this, Charles stepped away, wanting to avoid any criticism of his school if he could. There was a reason the summer program between their schools had been so hard to organize; they really shouldn’t have attempted it at all given how different both schools’ approaches were. “Well thank you for that. Now that you’ve made it clear you want nothing to do with me, we’ll be worse off. I’d rather fend for myself than talk to you any more until Hank figures out how to fix this mistake.”

Charles walked away and tried to find something solid he could sit by to avoid any further punches to his ego.

-

Lunch had been more awkward than Hank wanted it to be. Thankfully he was able to pass off Charles’ absence as part of the visit by Erik from Frost Academy, but that didn’t mean he was free to return to the lab and search for Charles and Erik because he’d need to wait for Raven and Moira to arrive and help keep things under control.

He certainly couldn’t keep things in control if his shrink ray had gone off like it had. He needed to find more time to focus that was sure. Maybe Charles had been right about what Hank did with his free time.

Thinking on that more, he didn’t realize that Raven and Moira had both arrived and were pounding on the door in unison.

“Hank! Open up the door!” Raven yelled. His own mutation also told him that Moira was tapping her heel on the stone outside.

Hank did as he was told and opened the door, relieved that there were people here who could carry on with watching the students while he figured out his own mistakes.

“Thanks for coming. I need to go back to the lab. You can both handle the students?” he said in a rush.

“First, Hank, we need to know a bit more about what happened,” Moira said. “Why don’t we go into Charles’ office and talk before you fix this problem? Neither Raven nor I have all the time in the world to give to this school.”

Hank nodded and followed them into the office. He had much to say and not enough time.

-

Charles took to one of Hank’s many tables in the lab, pushing himself against the sturdy leg that now looked more ominous than the Eiffel Tower had when Charles visited as a young boy. It was far easier to be by himself than to face any more of Erik’s words; words that had stung far more than Charles wanted to believe and had hurt far more than he wanted to let on. 

He wished that a penny would fall on top of Erik from where he stood in the middle of the floor. He wished for anything that would keep him from being in the same space as the man who hated him so much. But for now, he just wanted to avoid Erik at all costs and hoped that Hank’s mind worked fast enough to undo what had been done before they came to blows.

He slunk into the corner of the leg and the floor and twiddled his thumbs to pass the time. It wasn’t how he had imagined his afternoon going - even ignoring Erik’s arrival and meeting - but it was what he could do.

As if to make the day even worse, Erik walked over, looking as if he had his figurative tail between his legs. His eyes were downcast, but he lifted them to look at Charles. There was something almost contrite in Erik’s features now, but Charles didn’t want to investigate anything related to Erik right now.

He wanted the man gone.

“I know you don’t want to talk, but I wanted to say--” Erik started.

“I don’t care. Go away. Find another leg to sit against and leave me alone. It’s probably in our best interests to not have any contact with each other anymore; our schools can remain two different approaches to mutant education, and we can forget the Summer Program all together.”

“Let me at least make it up to you,” Erik offered.

“There’s nothing you can make up to me. You think me idealistic or naive, I don’t care which. Leave me alone.”

Instead Erik sat on the other side of the leg.

“I’ve never told anyone about my parents,” he said quietly.

“Thank you.”

They said nothing else for a while until Charles could make out that Erik was trying to think of something else to say. Rather than say anything, however, Erik kept thinking _I want to say more_ but he did nothing.

Charles waited as Erik cycled through the same iteration of that first idea until it was impossible for Charles not to know what Erik was going to do.

Erik reached out with his left hand and grabbed Charles’ right. It was the first time in far too long that someone had touched Charles in a way that wasn’t platonic, but Charles still didn’t want to believe what was going to come next.

Charles wasn’t paying attention to how long their hands were like that before Erik’s face came into Charles’ peripheral vision and soon Erik’s face was in front of Charles’.

It was easier to close his eyes than to watch Erik move closer still, though he felt Erik’s breath on his cheeks and then felt Erik’s lips against his own. That only lasted a minute - probably less - and then Charles mentally heard, _I don’t hate you._

Charles had no idea how to respond to that, so he sat there and blinked to adjust back to the light of the room all over again, Erik gone from his sight.

-

Hank felt that Charles would be impressed at how little time it took for the shrink ray to be reversed. It had only been a matter of adjusting one piece of the ray’s circuitry. 

Thankfully. 

But that didn’t mean he was done with his work yet. He still didn’t know where Charles and Erik had gone off to so he could unshrink them. This was the perfect chance for Hank to use the heat sensors he was thinking of installing all through the school. Even their small bodies must give off some heat.

Hours more work were ahead of Hank to get that done, but he needed Charles back.

-

There was little Charles could do in the wake of Erik’s kiss. Charles hadn’t had anyone show him interest since he started the school, and he had thought it impossible to be thought of that way anymore.

Erik had proved that idea false, but since their first - and only - kiss, Erik had taken Charles’ advice and gone off into another part of the lab. 

Now that he knew Erik had some feelings towards him, Charles felt that he had to sort out his own feelings. Surely all the years that they fought were signs that they would be miserable as a couple, but Erik had gone out of his way to tell Charles something so deeply personal.

Charles should repay the favor. Getting up, Charles went to find Erik, which would have been easier had the table they were under not been growing dust motes for months (or years).

Taking care to avoid being crushed by a mote as he walked, Charles found Erik at the other end of the table, sitting and trying to lift a penny. The coin kept wiggling but never did more than that.

“No success?”

Erik shot him a pointed look. “None.”

“I haven’t had any luck trying to reach Hank either. My mind can’t catch his. It’s maddening to know he’s there and do nothing about it.”

“So you’ll soon take over my mind and make me do tricks to pass the time?”

“No, never. I don’t ever intrude without asking.” It was shocking how little Erik thought of Charles’ own power, but when Charles remembered how Emma worked, Erik’s reaction seemed normal.

“Doubtful.”

“No, Erik. It’s the truth. I only overhear what people loudly think. If someone’s given permission before - like Hank - I’ll peek. But I’m not Emma.”

“You aren’t.” It was said as if Erik was admitting defeat, and it might as well have been from everything Charles knew about Erik before.

“So there we are. I won’t intrude on your mind. If you grant me permission, we’ll talk about it more and what I can and can’t do.”

“And you haven’t looked into my mind?”

“No. I only heard what you were thinking before the kiss, but nothing else.”

Erik looked sheepish now. “So you know?”

“I heard you say you don’t hate me. But nothing more.”

“Well then,” Erik said and then tried to turn away, shifting his weight towards the table leg to hide from everything else they had just said.

“Don’t. I know I’m not your ideal, but--” and now Charles trailed off, not knowing how to say what was on his mind. He moved closer still to Erik and then kissed him, putting as much of his own growing feelings into it as he went. It was filled with his appreciation of their fights, his admiration at Erik’s physical form, and his understanding how difficult it was to share a painful past.

Erik pulled away after a few seconds and whispered, “What did you do?”

“I showed you what I feel.” He wanted to say more, but as soon as his mouth opened, another ray hit the two of them, lighting blinding him and the zap ringing in his ears.

-

It was odd that the unshrink ray had managed to not expand the table under which Charles and Erik had been stationed. Grateful though he was, Hank didn’t want to think through the particulars of that right now; he was just glad to have Charles back.

“Welcome back, Charles!” 

Neither man paid Hank any mind; their eyes were locked into each other.

Hank was going to suggest they find Raven and Moira, but was cut off by Erik’s abrupt exit.

Far out of sight, it seemed. Charles’ eyes were looking at his own feet now, and rather than say anything to Hank, Charles trudged away from the lab and towards the elevator.

Hank had imagined he would hear something about undoing his massive fuck up, but there was nothing.

-

Alone in his room, Charles crashed after everything from today, body tired and mind weary. He’d been forced to face how the other mutant-only school perceived him, found himself taken with someone from that school, and then kissed said person all while knowing that it had happened under less than perfect circumstances.

It was too much for him. Years spent avoiding anything sexual and now he had an answer for why he was rarely seen as someone who might be worthy of affection.

But it wasn’t what he wanted to hear or to know. Charles wanted to be loved, or to be appreciated, because he was smart and intelligent, not because he was naive and overly hopeful.

So, he sulked.

He worked, of course, but he didn’t pass his students with the same happy demeanor. Raven and Moira had stayed on for a few days after he was returned to size, but they were looking at him as if he were broken and needed the attention rather than helping with the day to day administrivia. 

Putting on airs rarely worked, Charles knew, so he went about his days and tried to avoid looking too dejected when Raven or Moira were near.

Nothing was as successful as Charles had imagined.

“You look miserable. Will you tell me why?” Raven asked one night after the children had all gone to bed and they were sharing a drink in his personal lounge.

“No, I’d rather not. It’s none of your business.”

“But you’re always the one to ask about me and my interests.”

“That’s because I’m older and I feel like I raised you.”

“Typical,” she said with scoff before she left the room rather than trying to pry the information from Charles to no success.

Charles felt it wasn’t typical at all. He had nothing to share in all honesty. He hadn’t put what he felt for Erik into words or actions - beyond his kiss - and it was nothing more than a passing interest.

However, he didn’t have time to think on it more because the doorbell rang. No one should arrive this late, but it didn’t mean that it was impossible. Charles scanned whoever was at the door and found a familiar mind there.

It was Erik. And he had come via a teleporter, who was gone in a flash. Charles walked to the door and opened it to see Erik looking slightly haggard and as miserable as Charles felt.

“What a surprise,” Charles said when he allowed Erik into the foyer.

“You did something to me,” was all Erik said, low enough so that anyone who was near them couldn’t hear what he had said.

“In my study, if you don’t mind.” Charles walked that way and hoped Erik would follow without question.

Erik had, and once they were behind the closed door, he said, “You’ve made me half crazed since I came back to Frost Academy.”

“I haven’t done anything. It was you who kissed me first.”

“And it was you who showed me your feelings. Now I can’t get them out of my head.”

“I see, well, if you’d like, I’ll take them from you and you can leave; forget all about me.”

“Never. You aren’t tampering with my mind.”

“Then you’ll have to deal with what I’ve said. I won’t pretend I didn’t say them or that I don’t feel them. Or think that there’s something between us underneath those feelings.”

“And what if I have feelings similar to yours?” Erik hedged as if he wasn’t sure of what he was saying.

“Then we can try something and see where it goes.”

“What if I’ve put in my resignation at Frost Academy?”

“Then you’re welcome to stay here, and we’ll see how we do.”

“No other questions asked?”

“None,” Charles said flatly. He wasn’t sure if he and Erik would work, but he’d try if Erik were equally interested. “Shall I make you a room for the night?”

“If you don’t mind.”

Charles didn’t mind in the least, but he didn’t think Erik would react well to that being vocalized. Instead, he nodded and then said, “Now, would you like something to drink?”

-

_five weeks later_

It was a strange way to start a day. Erik stretched his legs under the covers and thought through what was going to happen. Six weeks ago he had been shrunk down to a tenth of the size of a penny and spend an afternoon with Charles and now he was about to be introduced as the newest teacher at the school in front of all the students and staff.

Emma had given him the cold shoulder as soon as he’d said he was leaving and soon enough she’d hear what was happening and decide that he was just as awful as Charles was.

Or she would know part of what was happening. He and Charles had been going into town more than once a week for dinners and then they’d come home to share time together with more interest in finding out what they were together. Only they knew about that, and it was to stay that way until they had figured out what they were going to do in the long run.

And together they were very very good. But that wasn’t the focus of this morning; he would be introduced and then he was going to be part of the staff. The staff that had taken a keen interest in what exactly Erik was to Charles.

Hank had given him more than one pointed look, and he was by far the only one who knew anything. Or potentially knew the most. Erik hadn’t bothered to understand how gossip amongst the staff worked yet as he wasn’t officially part of it.

What he and Charles were was all too confusing to Erik until the time that he and Charles were alone in one of their beds for a night.Then there was no doubt in Erik’s mind that he and Charles were meant to be together. Fitting together as if they were puzzle pieces that completed a large landscape in perfect clarity. 

That was far more exciting than thinking about not having to make up reasons to meet with Charles after class than he had before. But it also meant that he and Charles would have to be more careful about arranging anything.

_We won’t have to do anything of the sort. I’d rather thought you’d move into my room now. We’ll give up the ghosts and be teachers and boyfriends._

Erik was shocked by Charles’ eavesdropping, but then he remembered that the first thing he had done once they had kissed each other in the study was to allow Charles the ability to read Erik’s mind.

He had borne his secrets and wanted nothing to come between them - or more than what had been there before and was slowly crumbling like clay desperate for water.

_What if I say no?_

_You aren’t going to say no. Not when you’ve been craving another night together for three days. We won’t have to schedule anymore if you’re already here._

_How practical you are, Charles._

Charles mentally laughed before he said, _One of us must be._

Erik couldn’t agree more. And now that he knew that he and Charles would be sleeping together night after night, the day held much more promise than before.

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to Di, and J for the beta work. Any remaining errors are that of afrocurl.
> 
> Pinch hitting is always a challenge and **avictoriangirl** has been a treasure to work with.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Art Master Post: Cocktail Politics and Obscure Details](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3271871) by [avictoriangirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/avictoriangirl/pseuds/avictoriangirl)




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